Are you snoring every night? Is alcohol consumption a part of your regular day as a means to relax and unwind? Well, the fact is that you may be at a high risk of sleep apnea. Disrupted sleep at night due to OSA leads to fatigue, daytime drowsiness and low alertness levels. That leads to individuals to rely on alcohol to help them alleviate sleep-related symptoms. This vicious cycle continues until you see a healthcare professional.
Roughly 55% of American adults occasionally drink alcohol. Yet while it is often used near bedtime to help individuals fall asleep, it can have an adverse effect on your quality of sleep. A question that is often asked is “Does alcohol cause snoring?” It’s often been suggested that drinking alcohol may also contribute to chronic, loud snoring associated with sleep apnea, a sleep-related breathing disorder that is characterized by numerous interruptions to one’s breathing while they sleep.
The relationship between alcohol and sleep apnea has been referred to as complex or intricate in that it can elevate a person’s risk of developing sleep apnea and cause their snoring to get worse over time. This is due to the fact that alcohol affects the human body, especially your airway. Alcohol not only changes the amount of time it takes a person to fall asleep, it also alters how much time you spend sleeping and changes your breathing pattern during sleep.
3 Questions concerning Alcohol and Sleep Apnea
Research has shown that OSA or obstructive sleep apnea affects up to 30% of all US adults. Furthermore, current research and sleep studies have also found that alcohol is a possible contributor to the development of the disorder and can also cause patient outcomes and the symptoms of OSA to worsen over time. The 3 questions about alcohol and sleep apnea below have been addressed by a number of doctors, sleep specialists, and other healthcare professionals in past research studies:
Can drinking alcohol cause the development of OSA? Drinking alcohol has often been associated with an elevated risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. However, additional research needed in order to determine if it actually causes the disorder.
Can drinking alcohol cause the disorder to worsen? Alcohol causes increased and longer-lasting breathing interruptions during sleep. There are 6 reasons why drinking alcohol may worsen OSA:
alcohol can contribute to nasal congestion
alcohol makes it more difficult to wake up
alcohol relaxes mouth and throat muscles, thereby creating a partial obstruction in a person’s airway
drinking alcohol prior to bedtime raises one’s blood-alcohol levels while they sleep and increase the effect of OSA
the more alcohol a person drinks, the greater the effect on their OSA
the older a person is, the more susceptible they are to the negative effects of OSA caused by alcohol
Will using a CPAP Device positively impact how alcohol affects OSA? Although research up to this point has been somewhat limited, research studies have shown that the use of CPAP devices often reduce and even eliminate the effect of alcohol on OSA.
Granted, more research regarding the relationship between alcohol and sleep apnea will be needed to answer the above questions. In the meantime, individuals who’ve been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and who current use a CPAP device should be aware of any other effects that alcohol might have on one’s sleep quality. While alcohol can exacerbate the sleep apnea symptoms in people, with untreated sleep apnea, it has been seen that they are at a higher risk to the alcohol’s effects on sleep.
Does Alcohol cause Snoring?
According to numerous sleep apnea and snoring studies, drinking alcohol just prior to bedtime may help you fall asleep quicker. However, it also increases the likelihood of snoring. Alcohol is a vasodilator, meaning causes areas in your nasal passageways to swell and obstruct the airway. When you combine that with relaxed throat and tongue muscles, it’s a recipe for disaster – in other words, loud snoring. Thus, if you’re going to drink alcohol, make sure you’ve had your last drink 3 to 4 hours prior to bedtime.
In conclusion, studies have shown that alcohol consumption impacts the severity of sleep apnea symptoms by disrupting breathing, enhancing muscle relaxation, and exacerbating most of the underlying risk factors. By reducing alcohol intake is one of the most important aspect of managing sleep apnea and promoting sleep quality and health.
In the meantime, if you or your partner snores frequently, Asonor Anti-snoring Spray and Snoring Solution Online may help reduce or eliminate those snoring episodes. To learn more, e-mail your questions to [email protected] or visit our website today.